Butamax expands Biobutanol Early Adopters Group with Four New Members; Brings Capacity... -- WILMINGTON, Del., June 18, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

Butamax expands Biobutanol Early Adopters Group with Four New Members; Brings Capacity to Half a Billion Gallons

Butamax(TM) Advanced Biofuels, LLC was formed to develop and commercialize biobutanol as a next generation renewable biofuel for the transport market. The company benefits from the synergy of DuPont's proven industrial biotechnology experience ... Facebook Twitter Pinterest

Butamax(TM) Advanced Biofuels, LLC was formed to develop and commercialize biobutanol as a next generation renewable biofuel for the transport market. The company benefits from the synergy of DuPont's proven industrial biotechnology experience and BP's global fuels market knowledge. Butamax's proprietary technology offers a cost-advantaged manufacturing process for isobutanol with value from field to pump. For more information, visit www.butamax.com. (PRNewsFoto/Butamax Advanced Biofuels, LLC)

WILMINGTON, Del., June 18, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Butamax™ Advanced Biofuels, the leading global biobutanol technology development company, today announced that the Fagen owned facility Platinum Ethanol LLC of Arthur, Iowa and three other facilities have joined the Butamax Early Adopters Group, indicating their interest in biobutanol production. The three additional facilities are Little Sioux Corn Processors of Marcus, Iowa; Granite Falls Energy LLC of Granite Falls, Minnesota; and Siouxland Ethanol of Jackson, Nebraska.

The Early Adopters Group (EAG), launched in December 2011 with founding member Highwater Ethanol of Lamberton, Minnesota, is a consortium of leading ethanol production companies interested in the potential biobutanol offers for long-term, sustainable biofuel production. Today's announcement brings the current EAG membership to seven plants, with ethanol production capacity of approximately half a billion gallons per year.

The four new ethanol plants to join the EAG, along with the previously announced EAG members, are all Fagen/ICM-designed facilities constructed by Fagen, Inc. Fagen, Inc. is the world's most experienced biofuels engineering, procurement and construction contractor, having built six billion gallons of annual production globally. Butamax recently announced a collaboration with Fagen, Inc. to retrofit ethanol facilities to biobutanol production.

"Biobutanol is an exciting next step in the evolution of biofuels and presents a significant opportunity for companies such as ours to produce and market a higher-value product and reduce greenhouse gas emissions," said Ron Fagen, owner of Platinum Ethanol LLC and Chairman of Fagen Inc.

"We continue to see strong interest from high-quality ethanol producers who are excited by the opportunity to become producers of biobutanol as a next generation biofuel," said Paul Beckwith, Butamax CEO. "With the depth of industry expertise brought by the EAG members, we are well-positioned for the rapid scale-up of biobutanol production for the transportation sector."

Butamax was the first company to identify the opportunities and fundamental technology for cost-effective production of isobutanol through advanced biotechnology. Biobutanol is a high performing drop-in biofuel that can be blended at high concentrations without the need for infrastructure changes, delivering twice the renewable energy content of current biofuel blends.

About Butamax

Butamax™ Advanced Biofuels, LLC, a joint venture between BP and DuPont, was formed to develop and commercialize biobutanol as a next generation renewable biofuel for the transport market. The company benefits from the synergy of DuPont's proven industrial biotechnology experience and BP's global fuels market knowledge. Butamax's proprietary technology offers a cost-advantaged manufacturing process for isobutanol with value from field to pump. For more information, visit www.butamax.com.

About Platinum Ethanol LLC

Platinum Ethanol LLC is a 110 MGY ethanol plant located in Arthur, Iowa. In its fourth year of operations, the company has added millions of dollars to the local economy by processing corn into feed and fuel, generating more than 50 jobs and relying on regional businesses to supply both goods and services to its operations. For more information, visit www.platinumethanol.com.

About Little Sioux Corn Processors

Little Sioux Corn Processors is located in Marcus, Iowa and began operations in 2003. LSCP employs approximately 45 people. The facility has increased production volume several times since inception and currently processes 39 million bushels of corn into 110 MGY of ethanol and 290,000 tons of distillers grains (DDGs) annually. For more information, please visit www.littlesiouxcornprocessors.com.

About Granite Falls Energy, LLC

Granite Falls Energy is based in Granite Falls, Minnesota and began ethanol production in 2005 and is operating at a rate of 60 million gallons per year. Granite Falls Energy currently has 37 full-time employees and prides itself on providing safe and steady jobs, quality products and consistent returns to its owners. For more information, please visit www.granitefallsenergy.com

About Siouxland Ethanol

Siouxland Ethanol is a 50 million gallon a year production facility located in Jackson, Nebraska. The company employs 35 employees and processes 19 million bushels of corn annually from local farmers. In addition, the plant sells distillers grain, a byproduct fed to cattle, hog and poultry, and corn oil for animal feed. For more information, please visit www.siouxlandethanol.com.